The Department of Environmental Conservation said it is conducting an โinternal investigationโ into the much-criticized seizure of PโNut and Fred the raccoon atย Mark Longoโs Pine City home.
Both animals were killed. They were likely decapitated.
Decapitated? That sounds a little psycho.
The state claimed they tested Pโnut for rabies after he allegedly bit an agent on the hand. Longo said that is doubtful since the officers wore heavy protective gloves.
The Department of Environmental Conservation said it is conducting an โinternal investigationโ into the much-criticized seizure of PโNut and Fred the raccoon atย Mark Longoโs Pine City home.
Claims of Rabies Testing
The state claimed they tested Pโnut for rabies after it allegedly bit an agent on the hand. That is doubtful since Longo said the officers wore heavy protective gloves.
โIโm hoping to give him a proper burial,โ Longo told The Post of PโNutโs last rites, which will be held through a fully functioning human funeral home that offered its space free of charge.
โAn internal investigation into the matter is ongoing, and we are reviewing internal policies and procedures to ensure we continue serving this core mission,โ a DEC spokesperson told The Post Friday.
Gov. Hochulโs office, the DEC, the state Health Department, and the Chemung County Health Department refuse to share animal testing results. Usually, these tests are revealed within 48-72 hours.
The center, which is supposed to publish monthly rabies reports, hasย not done so since June and has refused to answer if it has received any specimens from Chemung County recently.
โYou claimed rabies. . . but you havenโt made a public comment on it?โ aย heart-broken Longo, 34, told The Post of the stateโs reticence. โAs a taxpayer, is my life and what you caused me not good enough to respond?โ
A DEC spokesperson told Longo to file a Freedom of Information Request.
10 DEC Agents Raided His Home and Sanctuary for a Squirrel and a Raccoon
โTheyโre realizing in hindsight, this got out of hand. They did not handle it well,โ state Sen. Dan Stec (R-Warren) said of the stateโs response.
โI canโt think of any legitimate or lawful reason to conceal the results of the rabies test. Itโs a matter of public health,โ he added. โWhere is the state secret here? Whose interest are they protecting?โ
On Oct. 30, around 10 DEC agents descended on Longoโs 350-acre property, where he runs an animal sanctuary with his wife and cared for Fred and PโNut in their home. The couple rescued the squirrel seven years ago after its mother was killed by a car and kept it as a household pet. Fred was rescued just a few months ago.
DEC Investigator Joshua Crain executed the search warrant after receiving a sign-off from Chemung County Judge Richard W. Rich Jr. the day before.
The search warrant only referred to the illegal housing of animals.
You apparently can’t domesticate a squirrel and a raccoon in New York.
The DEC said they are getting death threats. They haven’t been very honest, so don’t take that as absolute proof.
An agency of little significance can just send ten, some say armed, agents into a person’s home and steal their animals? This is the problem.
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